Former Zscaler Chief Operating Officer and President Dali Rajic has taken the same role at Wiz, a competitor in the cloud security market. The announcement was made today by Wiz.

In its securities exchange commission (SEC) filing last week, Zscaler announced Rajic has resigned from his position, effective February 2.

Rajic joined Zscaler in 2019 as president of go-to-market and chief revenue officer before being promoted to COO in 2022. He previously served as chief customer and revenue officer at AppDynamics (acquired by Cisco) and held leadership roles at BMC Software and Verint.

“Over the last 4.5 years, Dali has been instrumental in the growth of Zscaler and in establishing the fundamental principles and operational rigor required to support the company’s rapid growth. His efforts have enabled Zscaler’s customer base expansion and strong delivery to over $2 billion ARR [annual recurring revenue],” Zscaler wrote in a statement that was shared with SDxCentral. “We wish Dali the best of luck in his new venture.”

Zscaler hasn’t announced Rajic’s successor yet. The security vendor recently appointed Steve McMahon as its new chief customer success officer and announced it serves over 40% of Fortune 500 companies and set a goal to surpass $5 billion annual recurring revenue (ARR).

In his new role at the cloud security startup, Rajic “will oversee Wiz’s growth strategy and operating models and help steer the company through the next phases of its rapid growth on the road to IPO [initial public offering],” the company wrote.

His arrival at Wiz comes at a pivotal time as the company has experienced rapid growth since its inception four years ago, recently reaching $350 million in ARR and serving over 40% of the Fortune 100. Wiz also plans to expand its headcount and adds to its current base of over 900 employees across the United States, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Israel.

“I am looking forward to leading the charge in constructing — and, more crucially, executing — the company's growth strategy and operational models. Our goals are ambitious, as we aim for $1 billion in ARR while also setting our sights on a future IPO,” Rajic told SDxCentral in an email.

“In my past roles, I've had the good fortune to participate in and drive the growth of some amazing companies. Yet none have matched the speed and market potential of Wiz, which sits at the epicenter of three massive trends: cloud, cybersecurity and AI,” he wrote.

“As I embark on this exciting journey with Wiz, my initial focus will be getting to know the company and learning about the ‘magic’ firsthand. Taking the helm of the revenue organization and various operating functions, my primary objective is to ensure we scale efficiently while fully capitalizing on our immense potential,” Rajic added.

Image credit: Wiz